The November 2013 issue of Vogue Italia takes us into bed with a Vogue Beauty story photographed by Emma Summerton and styled by Patti Wilson. The editorial features models Crista Cober, Carolin Loosen, Kaila Hart, Tao Okamoto, Patrycja Gardygajlo, Josephine Le Tutour, Madison Headrick, an Jasmine Tookes. Taken from Fashiontography

Dave Gooding, Liz Deno, and Shaggy (dog), from Georgia, are on their way to Montana. “You meet a lot of good people who like to help out, so when people do that,” Liz says, “it’s like a karma broker. You give people an opportunity to give good karma back.”

I have this image burned in my mind from middle school of an old beat up station wagon filled with someone’s belongings, parked way in the back of a Walmart parking lot. When I saw this scene it was winter in my hometown in Eastern Washington state and the car had plastic sheeting in the place of a missing window. I was a naive, relatively privileged kid, but I knew that someone would be shivering in that car that night, and it affected me. It was this memory that eventually led me to take photos of the people I came across in the parking lot.—Nolan Conway

Brooklyn photographer Nolan Conway spent three weeks exploring the culture of the United States’ largest retail chain and the people who loiter there. Waking Up at Walmart is a series of portraits featuring curious characters and vagabond tales, all clustered around the edge of various Walmart parking lots in Flagstaff, Arizona. Here is a world of loss, leisure and the occasional adventure. In a place where a failed economy and a corporate giant juxtapose, the common man still gathers to seek comfort in the fluorescent lights radiating 24/7. Taken from Feature Shoot

J.D. Gilkey sold the family home and has been driving around the country researching his family’s genealogy. He says his travels have brought him to 500 Walmarts in the U.S. and Canada. “Christmas of 2011, there were about nine of us in the Walmart parking lot in Albuquerque,” he says. “Christmas Eve I put a note on everybody’s door to come over in the morning, and I fixed Christmas breakfast for everybody.”

Heiko Bergman, from Germany, rented an R.V. with his family to tour the southwest. A nearby R.V. park was full the previous evening. The people who ran the R.V. park recommended that they try the Walmart parking lot.

From left: Megan Hoffman; Sophia Stauffer and her boyfriend, Alex Daby; Deanna Bunch and Kerouac (dog). They were traveling from Prescott, AZ, to Montana. Each of them plays at least one instrument, and they fund their travels by “jamming” on street corners. Sophia describes the nomadic life as an opportunity to “do what I want to do and not have to worry about all the bills and worry about what’s happening next.”

William White was shipping store fixtures from a closed pet store in Flagstaff to Las Vegas. He gets good rest sleeping in Walmart lots. “When you have 40 or 50 trucks in a truck stop, it’s like trying to sleep in a beehive.”

“We sold everything we had and decided to find, as we put it, our American dream,” says Josiane Simpson. She, Jared Holfeltz, and their son Gabriel are currently living out of their car. Jared hopes to start a contracting business helping rebuild after natural disasters, but he recently hurt his wrist working a construction gig. So their dreams are on hold for a few weeks until his wrist improves.

Sheldon and Jacquie Britton from Phoenix, AZ enjoy their morning coffee by the gas fire in their “fifth wheel” camper trailer. They are on their way to Milwaukee for the 110th Anniversary of Harley-Davidson. “I have everything in there that I require without having to pack a suitcase and take it into a hotel,” Jacquie says. “I have full-size walk-in closet…I even have my china if we’re entertaining somebody.”

Jack Spano and and Dawn Lovingood are Army veterans from Colorado. They are in Flagstaff visiting the veteran’s hospital.

“These are the best years of my life,” says retiree, Leroy Morris. He lives off social security in his small R.V. with his dog, Maggie. He spends summers in the Flagstaff Walmarts and winters in southern Arizona.

Caleb Goodaker-Craig from Austin, TX, a painter on an 11,000-mile solo bike trip. “I was riding through to check out Walmart, and I met an older guy who invited me for a glass of wine. He let me sleep between the truck and his R.V.”

“My wife threw me out, because I’m a drunk,” says Sal. “I drink too much vodka.” He currently works odd jobs and lives out of his pickup.

Rick Keller, 75, says he doesn’t live in his R.V. for economic reasons, “I belong in the woods.” He lives in the woods, but comes to Flagstaff on weekends to restock. “I just pray that the Lord keeps me alive one more year, because these are such exciting times,” he says, referring to the Arab Spring.

Stephen Pike and girlfriend Christina Plascencia are traveling north with no destination in mind. They started in Bisbee, AZ. They were kept awake by a street cleaner driving in circles through the parking lot the night before. Stephen says, “I think he’s a subliminal irritant—keeping us up, instead of asking us to leave.”

Our first trip to a county fair was all it took for us to be drawn in and to know it was something we needed to document. We have also always loved people watching and state fairs and county fairs attract a wide cast of characters. Throw in a camera and you are suddenly given permission to stare. —Ackerman + Gruber

Minneapolis-based husband and wife photo team Ackerman + Gruber (Jenn Ackerman and Tim Gruber) have always been intrigued by Americana. After moving to the Midwest three years ago, they were interested in exploring the fair culture that they had heard so much about. During their first year in the Midwest, they spent time driving around the state visiting small county fairs, embracing mini-donuts, pork chops on a stick, 4-H animals, and demolition derbies in all their splendor in an ongoing series entitled Blue Ribbon. Taken from Feature Shoot

South African newspaper the Cape Times recently launched a clever advertising campaign that went viral, transforming iconic photographs into modern day “selfies.” Famous events are manipulated to appear to be taken at arm’s length, causing us to feel even more in the middle of the action. From Prince William and Kate Middleton catching themselves kissing to Winston Churchill snapping himself on a smoke break, the advertising is a fun, contemporary twist on journalistic history. With the tagline, “You can’t get any closer to the news”, the Cape Times campaign is a perfectly playful blend of then and now. Taken from Feature Shoot

Greek photographer Penelope Koliopoulou plays dueling lovers by transforming herself into both halves of various couples in her series Self Portraits. While working towards her degree at the London College of Fashion, Koliopoulou became irritated with the cliche storylines in romantic comedies and desired to explore what happens after “guy wins girl” and the credits roll. Self Portraits is humorous and strange, the tiny domestic dramas of everyday couples made even more entertaining when we realize the artist is impersonating both people present in the image. Koliopoulou exaggerates the positive and negative in relationships while simultaneously dealing with issues of personal identity and abandonment. Although a couple is in some ways a union of two souls, Self Portraits toys with the notion that the baggage, insecurities and expectations of each individual are the actual protagonists at play. No matter what the relationship, perhaps we are always simply in a struggle with ourselves. Taken from Feature Shoot

Marie Piovesan is photographed by Fabien Baron and styled by Ludivine Poiblanc in a Francisco de Goya tribute for the April 2012 issue of Interview magazine, with hair by Paul Hanlon, manicure by Elsa Deslandes and set design by Jean-Hughes de Chatillon. Taken from Fashiontography

‘Must see sites’ like the Eiffel tower and the Statue of Liberty are interesting in that they have become consumable commodities within themselves. People go to these famous places to take their photos, drink a can of Coke and then get back on their couch for the most part. This place took that idea to the next level, allowing the tourists from around mainland China to get their photo taken in these locations while saving the airfare. Everything was smaller than usual, but at the same time somehow over-exaggerated. All the expected souvenirs were readily available and there were also some dinosaurs added for good measure. It felt like a counterfeit version of the world.—Luke Casey

Shenzhen, China was designated as a special economic zone in the 1980s, transforming from a small fishing village into one of China’s mega-cities. It is located close to Hong Kong where English photographer Luke Casey currently lives. He said that despite being an hour away by train, it feels worlds apart. When Casey first heard about the theme park Window Of The World, which contains reproductions of the some of the most famous sites in the world and placed conveniently close for the majority of Chinese tourists, he knew he had to document it. Taken from Feature Shoot